Chapter 79

"This isn't the place to stand around. Come inside the house at once."

Lee Un-soo (Chairman) led the way into the house. The security team was taken aback by this.

The Chairman, who had been exposed to all sorts of terrorist threats since his youth, had never allowed anyone into his home.

Even meeting someone who came without an appointment was an unusual occurrence.

'Judging by the situation, that man must have saved the Chairman.'

The security team stole glances at Cheon Dowoon.

He looked to be only in his early to mid-twenties. Yet, he spoke casually to the Chairman, and it didn't seem out of place.

The security team instinctively knew that it wasn't because he lacked manners.

The Chairman's reaction was equally natural, as if he were dealing with someone his own age.

'Could it be…'

Their faces turned astonished.

If he was someone from the same era as Lee Un-soo (Chairman), it meant he possessed Mana strong enough to prevent aging.

'An S-Class Hunter…! He must be a hero from the old era!'

Those who were quick to notice looked at Cheon Dowoon with horrified expressions.

They almost never had the chance to see an S-Class Hunter in person.

Especially an S-Class Hunter from the old era. They were different from the Hunters of today, who had become mere merchants.

'I see. No wonder I couldn't even put up a fight before collapsing.'

The chief secretary looked at Cheon Dowoon with newfound eyes.

Lee Baek-ho also glanced at Cheon Dowoon, impressed.

'An organization created by a hero from the old era… the Coconut Family.'

He didn't know what they did yet. But it was definitely some kind of secret society.

'To be taking an entrance test for an organization led by someone like that. This is good luck.'

He would definitely pass the test and become a member of the Coconut Family.

Lee Baek-ho was already fired up for the organization's entrance test, which hadn't even happened yet.

* * *

Beyond the iron gate, a garden as wide as a sports field unfolded.

Passing through it, they arrived at a guest room for receiving visitors.

"Grandfather, I'll go to my room then."

Lee Baek-ho tactfully excused himself.

Those two were clearly old friends meeting after a long time. He wasn't so clueless as to intrude and spoil the atmosphere.

As Lee Baek-ho left the room, the Chairman smiled.

"As you probably know, that's my grandson. I practically raised him myself."

"What about his parents?"

"They died in a car accident when he was young."

Lee Un-soo (Chairman) said with a bitter expression.

"I'm truly grateful that you saved my grandson. He's the only blood relative I have left. But… how did you two meet?"

"Your grandson was stranded alone on a grape vine. He said he lost his Return Stone. So I gave him some work and sent him back here."

At the mention of the grape vine, Lee Un-soo (Chairman) furrowed his brow.

He had a hunch about what happened and sighed.

"I'll have to scold him later. Well, that aside. Tell me about yourself. Where are you living now?"

"Inside a Gate."

Cheon Dowoon repeated the same words he had told Lee Baek-ho.

Unlike Lee Baek-ho, the Chairman didn't dismiss it lightly. He studied Cheon Dowoon's face and chuckled in disbelief.

"It doesn't sound like a joke. Are you really living in a Gate?"

"Yeah."

"How on earth did that happen?"

"I died in there once."

The Chairman's hand, which was holding a teacup, stopped moving.

This also didn't sound like a joke. He looked at Cheon Dowoon in bewilderment, and Cheon Dowoon smiled.

"As you can see, I came back to life. Since then, I've been building a house and living in the Gate. It's quite nice, actually."

"Nice…? Inside a Gate?"

"Yeah. Come visit sometime."

Was he serious? The Chairman looked at Cheon Dowoon with wavering eyes.

"W-What did you build your house out of?"

"Logs."

The image of a cozy log cabin popped into the Chairman's head.

"There's a yard and a vegetable garden too."

"A yard and a vegetable garden…"

A yard and a vegetable garden were added to the log cabin in his imagination.

"There's also a stream nearby, which is nice."

The sound of the stream was added as well. Just listening to it made it sound like a great place to live.

'Is it even possible to build such a house in the Demon Realm?'

He wondered, but Cheon Dowoon's expression was sincere.

He had told him to come visit sometime, so he should go sometime. Lee Un-soo (Chairman) thought with an intrigued expression.

"Come to think of it, I haven't heard your name yet. What is your name?"

"Cheon Dowoon."

"It's been 60 years since I last heard that name. If we had properly introduced ourselves back then, it would have been easier to find you. But I was too out of it to ask."

Cheon Dowoon had felt like a burden being carried around, and he had been too shaken up to think straight.

After arriving at the Shelter, he had been overwhelmed by the bustling atmosphere.

The fever from his fractured leg bones had also contributed to his dazed state.

If he had asked for his name back then, they might have met sooner.

The Chairman thought so, but Cheon Dowoon shook his head.

"You wouldn't have been able to find me even if you knew my name. The research lab registered my information under a false identity, and they changed that information periodically as I worked."

"Research lab? Registered under a false identity, what does that mean?"

"I'm a Chimera."

The Chairman froze at the casually uttered words. He looked at Cheon Dowoon with stiff movements.

Human-type Chimeras were supposed to be created only from death row inmates.

That was the law, but it was a law that wasn't followed in the old era.

"You…"

The Chairman's eyes trembled. When he had first met him, Cheon Dowoon had been only about 15 years old.

In other words, he had already become a Chimera at an even younger age.

There was no way such a young boy could have been a death row inmate.

'A victim of an illegal research lab…'

The Chairman groaned softly. In the old era, it was common for people to be kidnapped and used for Chimera research.

It was difficult to find illegal research labs because they operated in the shadows.

Even if they were found, there was no established system to catch them in that dark era.

Lee Un-soo (Chairman)'s face became filled with despair.

"About Chimeras…"

Chimera Hunters were a part that the Association acknowledged and accepted.

In the old era, there were so few Awakened that they needed artificially created forces.

Lee Un-soo (Chairman) had been against it. He argued that it was wrong to do that to living beings, whether human or animal.

If they had to do it, they should only create them from inanimate objects like minerals.

In the end, he was met with numerous objections and it was scrapped.

"You don't need to look so guilty. It's not like you ordered it."

"But I couldn't stop it. In the end, victims like you were created."

"Well, I was taken to the research lab when I was nine years old. Considering the age difference between us, you would have been around 15 years old at the time. It was a time before the Hunter Association even existed. There's no need to feel responsible for something you weren't involved in, don't you think?"

Lee Un-soo (Chairman) gave a bitter smile.

He was grateful that he said that, but as the Chairman, he couldn't help but feel responsible.

"About Chimera Hunters… I've been constantly trying to abolish that system. But as you said, it's been around since before the Association was established. It's too deeply rooted in the industry."

The world had become stable. There was no longer a need to artificially create forces for survival.

Nevertheless, people continued to create Chimeras for profit.

"It's a system that needs to be abolished. But I don't know when that will be possible."

Lee Un-soo (Chairman) said with a sigh. Cheon Dowoon looked surprised at that.

"You don't seem to have any prejudice."

"Prejudice?"

"It's known that human-type Chimeras are made from the corpses of death row inmates. People are very repulsed by them."

"Ah, that. Actually, I was once guarded by a Chimera Hunter when I was younger."

Lee Un-soo (Chairman) said, reminiscing about the past.

"I saw that they were gentle and kind, unlike the rumors. Of course, they looked scary and were scary when they went into battle… but they were usually so gentle that I realized it was just people's prejudice."

Perhaps that Chimera Hunter was also a victim of an illegal research lab, not a death row inmate.

Lee Un-soo (Chairman) said with a bitter smile.

"It's surprising that you have such an impression of a Chimera. What made you think that way?"

"Well… when I was in my early thirties, the Association moved its headquarters. At that time, my grandfather commissioned a security detail from a company and rented a Chimera Hunter."

Lee Un-soo (Chairman) said, recalling the events of that time.

"It was a really strong Chimera. But when it was mealtime, the Chimera didn't eat anything. No one was giving them any food separately. I felt bad, so I shared some of my lunch with them."

"You shared your lunch?"

"Yes. I gave them some cookies and fruit. In return, they gave me something to eat too. They hunted it themselves."

Cheon Dowoon's expression became subtle as he listened to his words.

Security detail. Cookies. Fruit. Food given in return.

"That's kind of…"

A hazy image flashed through his mind. His memories were blurry because his mind had been broken, but some kind of image vaguely surfaced.

'I'm sure something like that happened to me too.'

Cheon Dowoon groped through the blurry memories.

* * *

Cheon Dowoon was 27 years old.

It was a time when his mind was broken and his body had completely undergone Monsterization.

[This is the Chimera Hunter who will be in charge of security this time.]

His memories of that time were hazy because his mind was broken. He didn't even remember the face of the broker who introduced him.

All he vaguely remembered was a group of dozens of refugees. He had escorted them until they reached their destination.

The mission went smoothly. There were occasional attacks from monsters or bandits, but they couldn't break through Cheon Dowoon's ironclad defense.

Everyone moved safely, and when it was mealtime, people gathered in one place and lit a bonfire.

[Alright, everyone! Come and get your lunch!]

Even though they were refugees, they were wealthy enough to hire a Chimera Hunter.

They were upper-class people, and the relief supplies they brought were all high-end.

The lunches they had packed in preservation boxes were also excellent.

Rice and meat. Three side dishes. Even cookies and fruit for dessert.

They were high-end foods that were hard to come by at the time.

[Chairman. Why aren't you eating and just looking at that Chimera?]

Lee Un-soo, who was in his thirties at the time, glanced at the Chimera while eating.

[Are they not providing meals for them?]

[Ah. That? The company that lent them to us said that there's no need to give them food. They've already been fed well, and once they eat, they're good for about a month. They only eat frozen raw meat.]

[Frozen raw meat?]

[That's how all Chimera Hunters are.]

[Is that so? But they keep looking over here. Aren't they doing that because they're hungry?]

The aide tilted his head at Lee Un-soo (Chairman)'s words.

[I don't know. Maybe they're just watching because they're guarding us?]

There had been a similar incident before. At that time, the Hunters who were with them had thrown fried chicken at Cheon Dowoon.

If those Hunters had done it out of curiosity, Lee Un-soo (Chairman) approached him with his lunch out of pity.

[Hey. Can you understand me? If you're hungry, would you like to try some of this?]

Lee Un-soo (Chairman) used chopsticks to bring a slice of apple to Cheon Dowoon's mouth.

Cheon Dowoon looked at it and opened his mouth.

Crack. His face split into eight sections around his mouth. Lee Un-soo (Chairman) almost fell backward when he saw that.

Mustering his courage, he held out the chopsticks, and Cheon Dowoon ate the apple. The slice of apple was too small compared to the huge mouth that had opened up.

[Well, you're eating well. I heard that Chimeras mixed with monsters don't have a sense of taste.]

Maybe they were enjoying the texture rather than the taste.

Then should I give them this, which has a distinct texture? Lee Un-soo (Chairman) picked up a cookie next to him with his chopsticks.

[Try this too.]

As he brought it to his mouth, his face split open like before.

The hundreds of teeth inside crunched on the small cookie.

[You're eating this well too.]

Crunchy fruit. Crunchy cookies.

Lee Un-soo (Chairman) gave Cheon Dowoon everything that he thought he would enjoy the texture of.

The aides who saw that from afar had awkward expressions.

[The Chairman is really something else. He's giving all that precious fruit to a monster.]

[What a waste. He should have given it to me if he was going to throw it away like that.]

People whispered around him, but Lee Un-soo (Chairman) didn't care.

Cheon Dowoon stared at Lee Un-soo (Chairman) without saying a word.

His mind was broken, and he no longer had any human reason left.

But he sensed that the person in front of him was being kind to him.

He had received something, so he should give something in return. He should give something that he could eat too.

Cheon Dowoon looked around. He saw something suitable beyond the bushes.

Having spotted his prey, Cheon Dowoon launched his arm, which had turned into a tentacle.

The octopus sucker at the end of the tentacle snatched the prey in one go. He held it out to Lee Un-soo (Chairman).

[A-Are you giving that to me?]

Lee Un-soo (Chairman) looked at what was attached to the sucker with a frozen expression.

Flap flap. A cockroach vigorously flapped its wings. It was a wild cockroach, so it was strong.

Its shell was shiny, as if it had been well-fed.

Its wriggling legs were also thick and full of health.

This was an excellent source of protein. Eat it. Cheon Dowoon's intention was conveyed.

[T-Thank you.]

Lee Un-soo (Chairman) received the cockroach.

The old era. An era where only the strong survived. An era where you had to be able to receive a cockroach with your bare hands to survive.

[I-I'll eat it later. I'm full right now.]

He could catch it, but eating it was another matter. Lee Un-soo (Chairman) couldn't bring himself to eat it.

He only received it and didn't eat it, but Cheon Dowoon didn't mind. He was satisfied because he had achieved his goal of giving something to eat in return.

A Chimera Hunter who received fruit and cookies and gave something in return.

He was a gentle and kind Chimera.